Once Upon a Time 1.13 'What Happened to Frederick'

While a lot of episodes have seen Once Upon a Time dragging its feet a little bit, probably due to the decision to span out the story into something much grander and decadent than your average fairytale, episodes that focus specifically on the central characters always hold a lot of power, mostly because the effects of such episodes can be felt several weeks down the line. Now that the series has gotten past the “finding its feet” stage, there’s a lot more room for people to change and grow as their lives begin to adjust and the curse begins to unravel.

Mary Margaret and David decide to come clean to Kathryn about their true feelings for one another in ‘What Happened to Frederick’. James makes a heroic sacrifice for Abigail who assists him in finding his way back to Snow. Emma learns more about Storybrooke’s mysterious visitor.

I know this is going to sound a little backwards, but despite instantly being drawn in by Snow’s charm and surprising wit, I’ve always found Mary Margaret to be slightly infuriating. I think a lot of that distaste rested on my inability to see where her struggle with David’s actions had come from. Seeing Storybrooke’s reaction to their secret trysts really brought her inner fears to the table and made me understand her reservations in a way I hadn’t before.

While some of her hesitation was out of concern over hurting people like Kathryn, it seemed like a part of her didn’t want to compromise what her and David had. If they couldn’t have it in the right way, they shouldn’t have it at all. Such an action is another testament to this show’s ability to take these classic characters and add new depth and esteem to them.

‘...Frederick’ also saw the intelligent interpretations of happy endings and fairytales reach a creative pinnacle of sorts. This new world that the characters have been thrust into has all been a way for Regina to undo their happy endings, but in a way, it’s also allowed each character to discover these hidden traits and desires that they never would have found otherwise. Happily Ever After is all well and good, but not when it comes at the cost of personal sacrifice and heartache for others.  

Take Abigail, for instance. After appearing as nothing more than an impediment to Mary Margaret and David’s happiness, this week she transformed into a woman worth taking the time to explore, who knew that personal satisfaction isn’t just in finding her true love; it’s also in setting out to discover your own passions and dreams. Just like James did by facing the siren to give Abigail her true love, Kathryn did the same by giving David up so he and Mary Margaret could be together. Both characters showed true bravery and courage, something that I’ve been waiting to see for a while.

Other simmering storylines boiled over this week with August (his real name?) taking Emma for that long awaited drink, but it wasn’t a drink in the traditional sense. Among other things, this scene made me question just what his true motives are for visiting. He clearly knows who these people are, and where they really belong, but is he going to be a help, or a hindrance?

The season certainly seems to be picking up steam, but I’d have hoped more characters would have learned about their true identities by now. Let’s not let that take any value from this week’s episode though, which was one of the show’s best.

9/10